Coffee Rubbed Pork Tenderloin & Another Fitness Update

I used to eat a mostly vegetarian/vegan diet, but I have recently added a lot more animal protein into my diet, which means I’ve been trying my hand at cooking meat and fish more than I have before. I used to watch my mom cook her famous pork tenderloin in awe, thinking that her recipe could never be beat (it can’t) and that I might never learn how to cook meat properly. But, I promise it is a lot easier than it looks and pork is definitely a great starting point since it is supposed to be well done. Something I will continue to be in awe of is how chefs can cook meat without cutting into it to check if it is done. I still have to do that multiple times before I know to take it out of the oven.

The four ingredient rub I used here is a snap to put together and could be used on other meats or chicken. It might be a mixture that I will have on hand in a jar for whenever I need some quick flavor. The cinnamon replaces any need for sugar, which I’m always looking to do. I paired the pork with another super simple three ingredient Cilantro Lime Quinoa. I think all together this meal takes about 50 minutes to put together (and most of that is just waiting for the quinoa and pork to cook. So, what are you waiting for!? Get to it!

What animal proteins are you scared of cooking?

Coffee Rubbed Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cilantro Lime Quinoa
Serves 4-6.

1-1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin

1 tablespoon coffee grounds
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cup cooked quinoa
4 large limes
bunch of fresh cilantro
salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet or dish with tin foil.
2. In a small cup combine all the rub ingredients and mix until combined.
3. Pat pork with a paper towel to dry and rub with the mixture until completely covered.
4. Cook pork for ten minutes on each side, flipping halfway through. Depending on how thick your piece of meat is, you may need to cook it for an additional ten minutes or so. Test it with a meat thermometor or by cutting it to see if completely cooked through.
5. While the pork is cooking cook the quinoa. Once cooled, juice limes into the quinoa and add cilantro leaves and salt. Mix to combine.
6. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

I wanted to give you all an update on my progress for the 100 miles by Halloween challenge from Tone It Up. It’s coming along and I think I will be able to make my 100 before Halloween with no problem if I keep the rate I have had since the beginning!

Total from Weeks 1, 2 & 3: 66.59 miles